Org releases own app

Global Locations Report 2012

The advent of mobile devices has introduced a measure of order into the fast-paced, sometimes chaotic world of location managers and scouts. Whether on location searching for the ideal beach or castle, or in a new city looking for a place to have dinner with the director, a handy smartphone or tablet can make all the difference.

So it was only a matter of time before the Location Managers Guild of America decided to develop its own smartphone application, which it just released for the iPhone. Known by the rather long name LMGA Filmmakers Guide to Location Filming, the app gathers the guild membership’s combined years of experience into a handy tipsheet and resource guide for location pros.

The app’s central feature is a carefully culled directory of vendors for everything from barricade and sign providers to map services. If an air conditioning unit breaks down or travel plans suddenly change, “I just need to whip out my LMGA app” to look up a vendor or service, says the app’s creator Beth Tate. She’s working on Android and iPad versions.

The LMGA app also includes a “cyber kit” that lists trusted Web resources and must-have companion iPhone apps test-driven by tech-savvy members of the guild. It incorporates links to various other sites, including those tracking sunrises, sunsets and tides, as well as a QR reader function and suggestions for several photo and utility applications currently on the market.

But the app is not an end-all and be-all for location management, says Guild spokeswoman J.J. Levine. She notes that in a world in which many high-powered apps are available at our fingertips, location managers’ greatest assets are still their people skills, experience and training.